Fumbles are a rarity for Christian McCaffrey

The Vikings stunned the 49ers 22-17 on Monday Night Football. The Athletic's NFL experts and insiders break down all the action.

Matt Barrows, David Lombardi, Alec Lewis and The Athletic NFL staff

October 24, 2023 at 12:14 PM EDT How the Vikings upset the 49ers on Monday Night Football: Highlights and analysis

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Fumbles are a rarity for Christian McCaffrey

49ers Christian McCaffrey just lost his second fumble of the 2023 season. That is a rarity for McCaffrey, as he had never lost more than one fumble in a single season in his NFL career.

49ers give the Vikings the ball right back

Christian McCaffrey's fumble marks the first time the 49ers have failed to score on their opening drive this season. They'd had five touchdowns and one field goal -- in Week 3 -- to that point.

Another interception for Kirk Cousins on MNF

With that first drive interception, Kirk Cousins has now thrown a pick on six straight appearances on "Monday Night Football." He has 12 career Monday night interceptions in 13 games played.

49ers jump out to early leads

The 49ers have scored first in all six games this season, one of two teams to score first in every game they have played so far along with the Ravens (7-of-7).

In each case, the score came on San Francisco’s opening drive. The 49ers are the only team to score points on their opening drive (TD or FG) in every game this season.

I'll take that

Kirk Cousins' second pass of the day is intercepted as he tries to hit Jordan Addison on a slant, but 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward snatched it out of his hands. Strong hands were displayed by Ward to steal that ball.

How can I stream 49ers-Vikings on Monday Night Football?

Lewis: What I'm watching for Vikings tonight vs. 49ers

What I'm watching tonight in Vikings-49ers:

Brock Purdy. Will he be affected by Brian Flores’ defensive looks, or will he be unflappable? The Vikings have rattled the quarterbacks in the two games they’ve won this season.

First was Bryce Young, the rookie who seemed a bit sped up by the loaded defensive front. Then it was Justin Fields, whose feet were antsy from the get-go with defenders flying at him from all sides. It didn’t hurt that the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears are two of the worst teams against the blitz. Purdy, on the other hand, has been good against the heat. Wink Martindale and the New York Giants blitzed him on 82.1 percent of his snaps, and Purdy completed 25 of 37 passes for 310 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Barrows: What I'm watching for 49ers tonight vs. Vikings

What I’m watching when the 49ers take on the Vikings:

Deebo Samuel was the 49ers’ blitz beater against the Giants in Week 3, catching one short pass after another vs. an aggressive defense and finishing with 129 receiving yards. With Samuel out of today’s game, who steps into that role? Ray-Ray McCloud is Samuel’s understudy, though he doesn’t have Samuel’s bulk or bullish style. Maybe the more physical Jauan Jennings, who’s been largely quiet this season, has a bigger role in Minnesota.
On defense, can the 49ers stop the screens and outside runs that were so effective against them in Cleveland? They know their upcoming opponents will copy the Browns, who had 160 rushing yards on 34 attempts. Cleveland, however, has a very better and more dedicated rushing attack than the Vikings, who will be without guard Ezra Cleveland for this game. The return of 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who is excellent from the hashes to the sideline, ought to help San Francisco as well.

Christian McCaffrey still streaking

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49ers RB Christian McCaffrey has scored a touchdown in a franchise-record 15 consecutive games, including the playoffs.

With a touchdown tonight against the Vikings, McCaffrey would break a tie with John Riggins and O.J. Simpson for the second-longest such streak in NFL history.

Most Consecutive Games Scoring TD (Incl. Playoffs) - NFL History

Lenny Moore, Colts: 17 from 1963-64
Christian McCaffrey, 49ers: 15 from 2022-23 <<
John Riggins, Washington: 15 from 1982-83
O.J. Simpson, Bills: 15 from 1974-75
Emmitt Smith, Cowboys: 14 in 1995

>> Entering tonight

Vikings have leaned heavily on pass game

Through six games, no team has gained a smaller percentage of their total yards on the ground than the Vikings at 22.1%.

A lot of that is play calling: only the Commanders (29.0%) have called a lower percentage of designed run plays than Minnesota (30.9%). But some of it is a lack of chunk plays in the run game: Just eight Vikings rushes have gained more than 10 yards (27th in NFL) and their long rush of the season is 17 yards, tied for second shortest in the NFL.

49ers LB Dre Greenlaw is ready for MNF

The most fired-up 49ers player in the tunnel leading from the locker room to the field for warmups? That was linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who was yelling at the top of his lungs as he made his way through. Greenlaw didn’t play against Cleveland last week, and his presence was sorely missed as the 49ers allowed 160 rushing yards and significant damage on screen passes. Greenlaw returns from his hamstring injury tonight and certainly seems to be bringing some pent-up energy with him.

Do the Vikings stand a chance against the mighty 49ers on MNF?

The Minnesota Vikings (2-4) haven’t won a home game in almost 10 months. Not a playoff game, not a regular-season game, not even a preseason game. It’s not going to be easy to stop that trend Monday night. A victory over the 5-1 San Francisco 49ers would be massive in many regards. It would break the losing streak. It would keep the Vikings in the thick of the NFC playoff race. And, maybe most of all, it would reignite a fan base that was juiced up for the season and is now struggling along with its team.

GO FURTHER

Vikings-49ers preview, predictions: Does Minnesota stand a chance Monday night?

Vikings rush defense could keep rush fantasy scoring relatively low

The Vikings have pass coverage issues, but they also possess a very strong rush defense. This shows up in Minnesota ranking fifth in fantasy points allowed per game on running back rush plays since Week 3 (7.55, per TruMedia).

This could keep Christian McCaffrey and Elijah Mitchell somewhat in check in fantasy production on the ground, and it may also explain why McCaffrey has relatively low over/under totals in the rush yards prop bet category at BetMGM, as he is currently listed at 63.5 yards (-115 odds for the over and under).

Jets QB Aaron Rodgers highlights tonight’s ManningCast guest list

Peyton and Eli Manning have a track record of getting guests for the ManningCast that drive viewership numbers and that should certainly be the case tonight when Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers joins the show.

With the NBA season starting tomorrow night, it’s great timing to have the Warriors' Klay Thompson as the show’s second guest.

Humor will close things out, as comedian Tiffany Haddish is the show’s third and final guest of the night.

The simplest key to 49ers-Vikings

The screen game. Both teams will very likely use it to try to diffuse aggressive pass rushes, so how it's executed and defended might determine tonight's outcome. On one side, Minnesota has blitzed more than any other team in the NFL. The 49ers previously countered the New York Giants' ultra-high blitz rate with a heavy dose of screen passes. That makes Christian McCaffrey's presence in this game so vital for San Francisco.

On the other side, the Vikings can be expected to attack the 49ers' talented pass rush the same way that the Cleveland Browns did last week: through the screen game. The return of 49ers' linebacker Dre Greenlaw from injury is potentially impactful in that regard.

Expect a lot of 49ers red at U.S. Bank Stadium tonight

Will Kirk Cousins and the Vikings have to run a silent count in their own stadium? That might not be likely — but it's not impossible.

Vivid Seats projects the crowd tonight in Minnesota to be comprised of 43 percent 49ers fans, which is a notably high number considering that this game is being played two time zones away from San Francisco. The 49ers' fan base travels well and has forced Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams to use a silent count in their own home stadium. Don't expect a SoFi Stadium-like majority for 49ers fans, but there's already a lot of red in U.S. Bank Stadium over an hour before kickoff, and this indoor venue should ensure that the Vikings — at the very least — hear those 49ers fans before the snap.

Lewis: What I'm watching for Vikings tonight vs. 49ers

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What I'm watching tonight in Vikings-49ers:

Brock Purdy. Will he be affected by Brian Flores’ defensive looks, or will he be unflappable? The Vikings have rattled the quarterbacks in the two games they’ve won this season.

Vikings secondary offers tons of fantasy upside for 49ers receivers

Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell seems to be going with a conservative passing approach (more on which can be found here) in part due to Justin Jefferson being out of the lineup, but also because he wants to protect a defense that has some huge coverage liabilities.

Per Stathead, Byron Murphy has allowed a 66.7 percent completion rate on 33 targets since Week 3. Camryn Bynum is even worse, giving up 23 completions in 27 targets, while Akayleb Evans (who is questionable for tonight’s game) has allowed 15 completions in 18 targets and a 9.4 YPT average.

Fantasy managers who have 49ers wide receivers in lineups will be happy to know that every person from that aforementioned trio has allowed a 12.6 or higher PPR PPG pace since Week 3.

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